[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Peacemaker.]

Summary

In the Season 2 finale of ‘Peacemaker,’ Checkmate forms before ARGUS kidnaps Peacemaker for Rick Flag Sr.’s master plan.

Jennifer Holland loved being sung to by John Cena, experiencing a Nelson concert, and getting to have an emotional moment the way only Harcourt can.

The Season 2 finale was bittersweet, leaving the characters with an uncertain future.

In the Season 2 finale of the HBO Max series Peacemaker, the 11th Street Kids bail Chris Smith (John Cena) out of prison and sit him down in order to get through to him about how important he is to them. With Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) leading the way, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) and John Economos (Steve Agee) team up with Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez), Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows) and Judo Master (Nhut Le) who leave ARGUS behind to form a new independent agency called Checkmate. All of this, along with a declaration to Chris that Harcourt really does love him, made it seem like things were taking a positive turn. That is, until Peacemaker is kidnapped by ARGUS, and more specifically Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), and thrown into an alternate dimension called Salvation where he could be trapped forever. Collider got the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Holland about all things Peacemaker, the Season 2 finale, and what the future for these characters could be. During the interview, she talked about the day Cena sang to her in Big Belly Burger, the Nazis of Earth X, why she’s glad that Harcourt ultimately didn’t kill Keith (David Denman), what a great time they had at the Nelson concert, that memorable declaration of emotion between Harcourt and Chris, setting up Checkmate, the heartbreak of none of them knowing that Chris was kidnapped, her favorite moments with Cena this season, and whether she knows anything about what could come next for these characters.
Jennifer Holland Had a Great Time Being Sung to by John Cena in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

“It seemed like everyone was really enjoying it.”

Jennifer Holland as Harcourt sitting across from John Cena as Chris drinking shots in Peacemaker Season 2.Image via HBO Max

Collider: First, I have to ask, what was it like to sit in a booth in a restaurant full of people and have John Cena singing to you? How many times did you have to listen to him do that as badly as he does that in that scene? JENNIFER HOLLAND: Quite a few times. It was a joyous experience. I had such a great time. The actress who played the server that kept serving us drinks was lovely. We had an absolutely incredible time. All the extra actors were having a great time. It seemed like everyone was really enjoying it. I found out that my best friend had booked this huge role in the upcoming season of Beef while we were in Big Belly Burger. It was joyous. I had such a great time shooting that whole sequence. I kept having to draw a square face with water. That’s actually my beautiful art, in case you’re wondering. It was great. John and I had a great time. I wouldn’t say that it was maybe his favorite time, having to badly sing a song to me, over and over again, but I had a wonderful time. It was really great. Before the finale, when everyone went into Earth-X to get Chris to come back home, they learned that it was a world where the Nazis won. What was your reaction to that? What was it like to see and hear the viewer reaction to that? How did you feel about the wall mural of Hitler? HOLLAND: It was a lot. I like that (creator) James [Gunn] has such fearlessness in tackling complicated social issues when it comes to the stories that he writes and the characters that he’s dealing with. He had a couple of different iterations that all involved some Nazi situation. It was a really sensitive situation. We had to be so careful. We had all these extras inside of the ARGUS offices. We kept the mural of Hitler covered for weeks of shooting so that no one knew what was up there. And then, one day, we had to pull it down, and I think everyone was like, “Oh, okay. Holy crap!” They ended up getting out of the show because I think it was just a hat on a hat and a hat, but there were a couple of extras who had to actually shave Hitler mustaches. They had to wear those, I don’t know how many days, but maybe two or three days, and they had to go home with those, which I can’t imagine was great for them. I hope it wasn’t great for them. I hope they weren’t just like, “Oh, finally I found my calling.” No. It was certainly complicated. I know James wanted to be very sensitive about the situation, but at the same time, he wasn’t afraid. He wanted to be sensitive without allowing himself to censor the story that he wanted to tell. There’s another big moment in episode seven when everyone came pretty close to killing Keith. You know that Harcourt has to be in love with Chris to risk how he’ll feel about her being willing to kill his brother just to save him. What was it like to have that moment? How do you think she felt about the fact that she was willing to do that, but then also wasn’t actually able to do that in the end? HOLLAND: For me, that’s one of the most heartbreaking things in that show. I know that, in that moment, she would have killed Chris’ brother. She would have killed Keith. She realized that she could not allow him to be out there, constantly threatening Chris, so she had to do that. But she also knows, in that moment when she makes that decision, that if he finds out that she’s done this, he will never forgive her. That would be the end of their relationship. It’s heartbreaking to me that she’s willing to do that. It’s beautiful because that’s how much she cares about him, but it’s really heartbreaking. I’m glad that she was interrupted. As an audience member, I’m glad because I don’t want to see Harcourt do something like that, that’s going to make Chris hate her like that. I just don’t. I don’t want to see that. But I do understand why she would do it. It’s really a harsh moment, and I’m so glad that James chose for her to be interrupted. What was your reaction to finding out that the finale would have a Nelson concert? What was it like to get to experience that? HOLLAND: I was so excited about it, actually. I was like, “This is going to be amazing!” And it actually was. Both of those nights on that boat were magical. We were in Savannah, Georgia, which is already this romantic place. If you’ve never been, it’s a very romantic Southern town. It was very cold on the boat. Very cold. Really cold. Not a lovely summer night. It was the end of November, early December that we were there, so it was very cold. But Nelson is amazing. They’re just so cool. They’re huge fans of the show. They gave us a great concert. We had an amazing time, and I think they had an amazing time. Foxy Shazam was there watching them perform. Foxy was like, “That’s a really good song.” It was fun. There’s one really wide shot of the crowd from the stage where all the members of Foxy, James, our producer, and a couple of the cast members were all in very back by the bar. Someone is going to screenshot that and put it out. Everyone was just having a great time. Chris asks Harcourt if the boat meant something to her, and I love her response of, “Of course it did, you fucking asshole. It meant everything.” It’s one of those moments of hardness and softness from Harcourt that seems like the only way she really knows how to express emotion. How was it to find that moment? Was that always what that moment was going to be? HOLLAND: It’s exactly how it was written in the script. It’s exactly what it said in the script. I thought it was really beautiful, the way that he wrote it, because it is exactly how she has to deal with the situation. She’s about to walk away. She’s about to just go, “Shut the fuck up! Stop asking me about the boat. I told you I’m not capable of this.” But I think she realizes that she needs to put up or shut up in that moment, and if she doesn’t, she may lose him forever. She almost lost him. She had to go to another dimension to bring him back. I think she realizes she has to say something, and that is all she’s capable of saying. She can’t just be honest. She has to put the undercut, fuck you spin on it, which is her toxic masculinity that she may never get rid of. It’s exactly as it was in the script. It’s a beautiful moment. It’s so sad that she finally says this and starts to open up to him right before he’s gone, maybe forever. I don’t know.
Now That They’ve Established Checkmate, Jennifer Holland Hopes to See This ‘Peacemaker’ Team Again

“t was a little bit bittersweet for me because it felt a little bit like saying goodbye to everyone.”

We also see this group set up an office. We see them walk out smiling with the Checkmate: Making the World Better sign on the wall behind them. I actually really loved the moment with Harcourt and Adebayo hugging. Was it heartbreaking to have that moment of happiness before Chris is taken and chained and possibly locked in a world he’ll never escape from? HOLLAND: I think it’s heartbreaking in retrospect. It was a little heartbreaking for me, the whole experience we had in the Checkmate office, with us doing moving in and all the stuff that we shot there and the slow walk out and the hug with Adebayo. It was a little bit bittersweet for me because it felt a little bit like saying goodbye to everyone in some ways, even though we’re starting this new chapter. I don’t know what the future holds for Peacemaker. That’s the problem. Peacemaker is now stuck in this dimension. I don’t know how James will handle it, but I certainly think that the likelihood, in my mind, is that she has no idea that Chris has been taken. She thinks that he just left again, and she may just close off again. That’s what I see happening, and that’s just so incredibly sad to me, if that’s the case. He is on Salvation now. We have started Checkmate, but we don’t know what’s happened to Peacemaker. How is this all going to be answered within the DCU? I don’t know. But it’s hard for me to make the jump to think that it’s going to be answered in a Season 3 of Peacemaker. I’m just afraid that we’re never going to be together again in this iteration. I hope that’s not the case. I don’t know. I know everyone probably thinks I know because I’m James’ wife, but I don’t. I actually don’t know. I just hope that this is not the end of this iteration of this beautiful team that I love. When he does something like this, that has a big cliffhanger moment, not just for Chris but because nobody else knows what has happened, does he tell you that you’ll get answers at some point, or are you just left wondering? HOLLAND: Obviously, he’s got many plans that he’s put together. He’s talked openly about the fact that he does have a plan, in terms of the larger story that he’s telling in the DCU. But I don’t know what that is. I don’t know how he’s going to answer this. I knew everything that happened throughout the season, but now I’m in the same place everybody else is at the end of the season going, “What do you mean? What happens now? That’s so sad! Harcourt has no idea.” I don’t know. Chris gets to this place where he’s going to sacrifice himself for everybody, and they have to give him a pep talk to snap him out of it. What was it like to be together in that motel room for that moment? HOLLAND: It was beautiful. That was such a beautiful moment, really, truly. Danielle [Brooks] is just a sparkling, wonderful joy to work with. She gives you so much. She does such an amazing job in that scene. And John is such a such an incredibly present, wonderful actor. I don’t think anyone knows or recognizes how talented he is and has become throughout his career. It was really just beautiful. We had this wonderful quiet moment together, except for Steve Agee. Danielle was in the middle of this beautiful take, which I hope comes out at some point. The camera was on Danielle, and she was just pouring her heart out, and it was so real and so beautiful. And then, all of a sudden, she made eyes with Economos, and he was doing something to be a jerk off camera. She was like, “Really, dude?! Really?! While I’m in the middle of this incredibly emotional scene?” We had a great time. I think everybody’s great in that scene. I love this cast so much, so of course, I think that. I’m not very unbiased. Even if you know how good of an actor John Cena is, when you look at him, you don’t think he’s going to be emotional like that? HOLLAND: Yeah, he’s this very weird mixture of exactly what you think a person would look like who is not emotionally present, and not well-read or intelligent or interesting to talk to, but he is all of those things. He’s such an interesting person. I love him so much.
Jennifer Holland Shares Her Favorite Moments With Harcourt and Chris in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

“There are so many good moments.”

Jennifer Holland as Harcourt riding a motorcycle with John Cena as Chris Smith in Peacemaker Season 2Image via HBO Max

What was your favorite moment between Harcourt and Chris this season? HOLLAND: I have two favorite moments for them, in the whole season. The first one is the interrogation room scene in episode six. It’s this real thing that happens when you finally just go, “We’ve got to talk about this. We’re not going to just not talk about this.” And one person wants to talk about something, and the other person doesn’t want to talk about it. I just really thought it was really beautifully written. John and I were so grateful to get to perform that scene, and I love that moment between them. And then, the other one is kind of small. There’s this little moment that they used at the end of the montage where Chris and Harcourt are watching Foxy Shazam, and you just see how light Harcourt feels suddenly. They’re hugging, and they look at each other with this joyous look on their faces, and they’re just having such an unadulterated, good time. I was like, “I needed to see them doing this. I needed to see this for Harcourt, and I need to see this for their relationship.” Those are my two favorite moments. And of course, I love the moment where she says, “You fucking asshole.” It’s such a great moment. There are so many good moments.

Release Date

January 13, 2022

Network

HBO Max, Max

Directors

James Gunn, Brad Anderson, Rosemary Rodriguez

Peacemaker is available to stream on HBO Max. Check out the Season 2 trailer: